Label-follower mechanism.



P. 0. WOODLAND. LABEL POLLOWER MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2a, 1909.

' Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

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FRANK O. WOODLAND, 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

LABEL-FOLLOWER MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 12, 1910.

Application filed August 25, 1909. Serial No. 514,541.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK O. WoonLAnD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of \Vorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Label-Follower Mechanism, of,

which the following is a specification, reference being made therein to the accompany ing drawings.

My present invention relates to improve- I ments in follower mechanism, of the class' employed with bottom-delivering labelholders, for retaining and resisting uward pressure or movement of the pack of abels or the like, in label-aifixing machines an machines of similar character; the prime ob jectbeing to provide a more efiicie'nt and desirable automatically adjusting follower that will give an easy and uniform pressure upon the pack, or packs, under varying conditions and different qualities of labels; also to obviate liability-of the follower pressing too firmly on the pack, and unduly compressing the same, by reason of the jar or motion of the machine. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings. I

Figure 1 represents a front yiew of my improved follower mechanism. Fig. 2 shows the follower mechanism as applied .to the label-holder of a dual labeling machine. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section at line X X. Fig. l is a vertical section at the top ends of the guide-rod and follower-rod. Fig. 5 shows a plain view and central section of the cramp-piece; and Fig. 6 is a view of-- the spring for temporarily holding the followerrod elevated.

' Referring to the several. parts illustrated in the drawings, A denotes the frame or label-holder carrier; and B the label-holder; which may be of any suitable construction, and provided with any efficient "means, as stakes O, .for supporting a pack, or packs, of labels orthe like thereon, as at L L for delivery from the bottom of the pack. The means employed for taking the labels singly from the pack, or acks, and conveying them to the place of a xment, may be of any well known or suitable kind. In the present instance, for illustration, there is shown a glue-applying usually employed to more up against the-bottom of the pack and take the labels therefrom adhesively, in well known manner.

picker 1),.1 pair of which are But my improvement has reference to the follower mechanism, which can be applied to label-holders of various forms, as employed for various kinds of machines wherein the structure of the label-holder and feeding means renders the use of a follower desirable.

The numeral 2 indicates the follower-.su porter or headieee, having an uprig it ui'd'e-rod 3 rigi ly fixed therein, and roecting upward therefrom; also having a vertical guide-way or opening 4 therethrough near to and ap ro'ximately parallel with saidguide-rod, and the follower-rod 5 is supported in and freely slidable endwise through said opening. The guide-rod 3 is preferably of square or rectangular crosssection, and the follower-rod cylindrical. The rod 3 is preferably fixed in the heade piece by embedding its end in the "metal when casting the headpiece, as indicated by dotted lines at h on Fig. 1.

The top endof the follower-rod 5 is formed with an internal cavity 6, and exte'iw nally screw-threaded. \Vithin said cavity I arrange an endwise movable stud 7 having a shoulder and a projecting tip 9-; and provide a spring 10 beneath the stud forpressin'g it upward. The stud and spring are confined from escaping from the cavity by perforated screw-cap 12,01 Othfilj Suitable means, which allows the tip 9 of the stud to project about one sixteenth of an. inch, more or less, above the cap or end of the follower, substai'itiallyas shown in Figs. 1 and 4:, and to yield to any force sufficient to overcome the resistance of the spring 12, which latter can be made with a tension suitable to meet the requirements in any particular instance. The lower end of the rod 5 rests upon the plate 11, which is usuall. placed upon. the top of the pack 01' pile o labels L, and 01- lows downward as the pile is reduced by removal of labels from the bottom.

A cramp-device or plate 15, having a suitable opening 13 for freely sliding downward, and upwardly cramping, is arranged out-he guide-redid. and has an end or member 16 that projects over the follower-rod 5 for contact with the end of the rod or its spring-pressed stud 7. equivalent means at 17, serves to prevent the cramp-piece 15 escaping atthe top of the guiderod.

At or near A cotter-pin, or

a centrally theflower end of the follower- I in, and projecting from a slot in the side of therod. bald spring is best formed of a n-h'o bout as ellUWll in'Fi o. and is adapted for giving friction within the head-p ece, when the follower-rod is elevated, sufficient for temporarily retaining said rod in elevated position. while the operator is charging labels, or the like, into the holder for renewing the packs. j

The head-piece 2 is disposed above the pack of labels and supported in suitable manner to maintain a fixed position with the rods upright. Preferably, as in the presentinstance, where a label-holdr has a plurality of compartments, a horizontal supporting-bar 20, of rectangular cross-section, is rigidly fixed to the frame or label-holder carrier A and arranged-to extend over the several compartments of labels L, L the head-piece for each compartment being formed With a horizontal opening to fit and slide upon saidsupporting bar "20, and a clamping-"orfastening means, as set-screw 213s provided for retaining the head-piece at aliy'position upon the bar, with the fol- 'lovver-"rod approximately centrally above its respective compartment. The'follower-supporting headpiece can be adjusted along the bar-to anyposition desired to conform with the bcompartments when adjusted for various forms and positions of labels.

In the operation of'this mechanism, the follower-rod 5 moves downward freely by gravity, but its upward movement is resisted by the over-projecting resistance device 'or plate 15, which also drops-by gravity, but cramps on the standing guide 3 with any liftingaction againstits projecting end 16. The spring-pressed stud 7 serves as a pri- 'Inarycontact member'between the rod and resistance device, and whileallowing the top end of the follower-rod to solidly impinge against the cramp-piece when the pack is pressed upward by the pickers, gives a limited degree of yiclding'and resilient ac tion that preserves the proper relation of the cramping members and prevents the cramp-piece moving down the guide-rod so for to cause an increasing concentration" of the pack to such a degree that it becomes rigid and interferes with the proper working of the pickers in taking labels from-the.

bottom of the pack.

The cramping and yielding devices being and easily operating mechanism that is sensi tive and readily operative without regard'to the conditioner thickness of the labels, and

will work on labels of thick paper, or of thin tissue paper.

By simply lifting the clamp-and followerrodto the top of the guide,'as indicated by.

dotted lines Fig; 1, said parts will be held elevated by the spring 18, so as not to interfere with the charging of labels into the top of the lnbel=ho1der. When charged, the fol= lower can be brought into-working position by simply pushing it downward by thchnnd. cln lin 1. In combination with means for supporting n pack of labels, or the like, a folower mechanism comprising a non-elevatablesupportin and uiding head, an upright guide-r0 fixedt erein, a movable follower-rod guided Within and extending through said head approximately parallel with said guide-rod, and a slidable crampdevice mounted on said guide-rod and projecting over said follower-mid; said crampdevice adapted to move freely downward along said guidc -'rod, but to grip on the guide-rod and resist upward movement when pressure is exerted on its projecting end by contact of said follower-r0 2. A follower mechanism comprising a headpiece having a horizontal guidcway and a vertical guide-way therethrough, means for clamping said head-piece upon a bar passed through said horizontal guide- Way, a vertical ro'd fixed in said head-piece, an endwise movable follower -rod passing tln'oughthe vertical guide-Way in said head, a spring projected stud at the top end of said follower-rod, and an upwardly clamping grip'device movable on saidvertica] rod and projecting over the top end of the follower-rod.

. 3. In a mechanism of the class described, in combination with the supporting member having a CIzlDlpQllldlHg-IOd fixed therein, a follower-guiding opening adjacent thereto, and the cramping-plate arranged to act on said fixed crarnp-guiding-rod; of a followerrod slidable through said opening, and having a recess in its upper endfa perforated cap secured thereon, a spring Within said rc- (Jess and an CIllWlE-T0 movable stud seated upon said spring and having a limited projection through said cap for impingement against the clmnp-dcvicc; I

4. In combination With a top-charged bottmil-delivering label-holder, a label follower mechanism comprising a follower-guiding support, a fixed upright crampguide-rod, an upright cndwisc movable follower-rod, a tilting cramp-plate embracing said crampgnido-rod and overlying said followcr-rod, means at the top'cnd of said follower-rod that affordsa limited-yield and resilient action between said cramp-plate and threadjaccnt end of the follower-rod, but permitting solid contact of the same by slight up- We rd movement of the follower-rod.

5. The combination With a holder adapted for suoportii'ig a pack of labels or the like, means for taking labels from the bottom thereof, and a pressure-platc for the top of the label pack; of a standing guide, an endwise movable follower approximately parallel to said standing guide and seating on Ill) said plate, a guide for said follower, a downwardly moving resistance-device mounted on said standing guide and adapted for auto matioally resisting upward movement of said follower, and a yieldable contact-member disposed between said follower and resistance-device, and having a limited yielding and resilient movement, for the purpose set forth.

6. The con'ibination with a bottoin-delivering label-holder having compartments and means for supporting a plurality of packs of labels, of a rigid horizontal carrier-bar extending over the compartments of said label-holder, guiding heads adjustably secured upon said carrier-bar at the respective label-compartments, means for releasably securing the guiding-heads rigid upon said bar, an upright cramp-guide fixed in each guiding-hez-id, an upright follower-rod adjacent to and approximately parallel with said fixed cramp-guide, and slidable endWise through the guiding-head, an upwardly gripping cramp-device arranged on the crampguide and projecting over the follower-rod, and an endwise yielding spring-pressed stud arranged in the end of the follower-rod and having a limited projection for impinging against. said cramp-device, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with the label-holder, follower-guiding support, fixed crampguide-rod, endwise movable follower-rod, and sliding oran1p-pieee; of the laterally projecting friction spring located in a slot at the foot of the follower-rod and adapted for temporarily holding up said followerrod and cramp-piece when at extreme elevated position.

\Vitness my hand this 24th day of August, 1909.

FRANK O. W'OODLAND.

Witnesses:

CHAS. H. BUBLEIGII, F. A. DRURY. 

